scientific research

August 30, 2022

A red telephone receiver against a backdrop of stars and galaxies

Science

America Is Trying to Make the Moon Happen Again

Marina Koren

August 27, 2022

Science

What an Alzheimer’s Controversy Reveals About the Pressures of Academia

David Robert Grimes

July 29, 2022

A magnifying glass half-obscured by a cloud

Science

We’ve Never Seen Mars Quite Like This

Marina Koren

July 6, 2022

Rocky outcroppings on the surface of Mars, as captured by NASA's Perseverance rover

Science

Our Powerful, Shiny New Space Telescope Got Its First Upsetting Ding

Marina Koren

June 14, 2022

A technician, dressed in protective clothing, examines several of the James Webb Space Telescope's mirrors.

Science

Now Even NASA Wants to Talk About UFOs

Marina Koren

June 10, 2022

An illustration of a hand holding up glass flask with, with a tiny, saucer-shaped UFO floating in the water inside the container

Science

Mars’s Soundscape Is Strangely Beautiful

Marina Koren

April 29, 2022

An illustration of the planet Mars wearing a set of big headphones

Science

The Russian Invasion Touches Outer Space

Marina Koren

February 27, 2022

A view of the International Space Station from a departing Russian capsule

Science

Our Millennial Space Telescope Hasn’t Burned Out Yet

Marina Koren

February 25, 2022

A picture of the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit

Science

Astronomy’s Most Dazzling Era Is About to Begin

Marina Koren

January 24, 2022

A Hubble view of cosmic gas at the center of the Milky Way

Science

We Booped the Sun

Marina Koren

January 17, 2022

Three images of the sun in red, yellow, and blue—the products of observing our star in three different wavelengths

Science

Even NASA Seems Surprised by Its New Space Telescope

Marina Koren

January 8, 2022

A photograph of the James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror—an array of hexagonal, gold-covered tiles—illuminated in a dark room

Science

The Wait Was Worth It

Marina Koren

December 25, 2021

Science

Why NASA Is Trying to Dodge the Moon

Marina Koren

December 15, 2021

Science

Why Is NASA Sending Its New Telescope a Million Miles Away?

Marina Koren

December 10, 2021

An illustrated GIF of the James Webb Space Telescope in a star-filled night sky

Science

The Biggest ‘Oh No’ Moment in the Solar System

Marina Koren

December 1, 2021

A picture of a technician examining the James Webb Space Telescope and its gold-covered mirrors

Science

NASA Is Practicing Asteroid Deflection. You Know, Just in Case.

Marina Koren

November 26, 2021

An illustration of an asteroid knocking into the planets of the solar system as if the objects were beads on an abacus

Science

Maybe Don’t Blow Up Satellites in Space

Marina Koren

November 17, 2021

A computer-generated image of objects in Earth orbit that are currently being tracked, nearly all of which are orbital debris, not functional satellites.

Science

The Uncomfortable Truths of American Spaceflight

Marina Koren

November 10, 2021

American and Canadian astronauts, who will someday be eligible to train for future moon missions, pose for a picture

Ideas

America Needs a New Scientific Revolution

Derek Thompson

November 5, 2021

Illustration of a beaker with American revolutionaries inside

Science

NASA’s Mission to Jupiter Has Nothing to Do With Jupiter

Marina Koren

October 28, 2021

A photo of the Lucy spacecraft's solar panels, before launch

Science

This Isn’t the Big Telescope Debut NASA Imagined

Marina Koren

October 25, 2021

A photograph of a technician looking at the James Webb Space Telescope's gold-covered mirrors

Science

The Cost of William Shatner’s ‘Most Profound Experience’

Marina Koren

October 13, 2021

An illustration of an astronaut in a spacesuit crossing a finish line, with a foam finger in hand

Science

A Question Only Elon Musk Can Answer

Marina Koren

September 22, 2021

An illustration depicting Elon Musk standing on top of the Earth

Science

Elon Musk Must Be Pretty Relieved

Marina Koren

September 18, 2021

Private astronaut Hayley Arceneaux takes in the view on SpaceX's Dragon capsule

Science

SpaceX’s Private Astronauts Are Flying Higher Than the Space Station

Marina Koren

September 15, 2021

SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission launches over Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Science

Finally, a Private Spaceflight With a Billionaire You’ve Never Heard Of

Marina Koren

September 13, 2021

The crew of SpaceX's first privately funded trip to space is seen training for their journey.

Science

Jeff Bezos Needs NASA to Listen to Him

Marina Koren

August 20, 2021

A photograph of Jeff Bezos that has been edited to portray the billionaire's head as the surface of the moon

Science

Someone Show NASA a Calendar

Marina Koren

August 13, 2021

NASA astronauts practice for a future moon landing inside a training pool at Johnson Space Center

Science

The Day the Space Station Lurched

Marina Koren

August 1, 2021

The Nauka (Science) Multipurpose Laboratory Module is seen during its docking to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 29, 2021.

Newsletters

The Atlantic Daily: Welcome to the Era of Private Space Travel

Caroline Mimbs Nyce

July 20, 2021

Science

Jeff Bezos Knows Who Paid for Him to Go to Space

Marina Koren

July 20, 2021

The New Shepard Blue Origin rocket lifts-off from the launch pad

Science

Jeff Bezos Is Ready to Cross a Cosmically Controversial Line

Marina Koren

July 19, 2021

A view of the hazy boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space

Science

Jeff Bezos Has Picked an Unusual Space Crew

Marina Koren

July 15, 2021

A photo of Jeff Bezos wearing sunglasses inside a Blue Origin capsule

Science

Richard Branson Pulled It Off

Marina Koren

July 11, 2021

A picture of the British billionaire Richard Branson climbing into his Virgin Galactic spaceship

Science

Guess Who’s Going to Space With Jeff Bezos?

Marina Koren

July 1, 2021

A recent photo of Wally Funk in a flightsuit (left), a photo of young Funk, standing near an Air Force plane

Sections

The Print Edition

Why Is NASA’s Hold Music So Catchy?

America Is Trying to Make the Moon Happen Again

What an Alzheimer’s Controversy Reveals About the Pressures of Academia

We’ve Never Seen Mars Quite Like This

Our Powerful, Shiny New Space Telescope Got Its First Upsetting Ding

Now Even NASA Wants to Talk About UFOs

Mars’s Soundscape Is Strangely Beautiful

The Russian Invasion Touches Outer Space

Our Millennial Space Telescope Hasn’t Burned Out Yet

Astronomy’s Most Dazzling Era Is About to Begin

We Booped the Sun

Even NASA Seems Surprised by Its New Space Telescope

The Wait Was Worth It

Why NASA Is Trying to Dodge the Moon

Why Is NASA Sending Its New Telescope a Million Miles Away?

The Biggest ‘Oh No’ Moment in the Solar System

NASA Is Practicing Asteroid Deflection. You Know, Just in Case.

Maybe Don’t Blow Up Satellites in Space

The Uncomfortable Truths of American Spaceflight

America Needs a New Scientific Revolution

NASA’s Mission to Jupiter Has Nothing to Do With Jupiter

This Isn’t the Big Telescope Debut NASA Imagined

The Cost of William Shatner’s ‘Most Profound Experience’

A Question Only Elon Musk Can Answer

Elon Musk Must Be Pretty Relieved

SpaceX’s Private Astronauts Are Flying Higher Than the Space Station

Finally, a Private Spaceflight With a Billionaire You’ve Never Heard Of

Jeff Bezos Needs NASA to Listen to Him

Someone Show NASA a Calendar

The Day the Space Station Lurched

The Atlantic Daily: Welcome to the Era of Private Space Travel

Jeff Bezos Knows Who Paid for Him to Go to Space

Jeff Bezos Is Ready to Cross a Cosmically Controversial Line

Jeff Bezos Has Picked an Unusual Space Crew

Richard Branson Pulled It Off

Guess Who’s Going to Space With Jeff Bezos?